In shuttleless looms, that is, those looms in which weft yarn is supplied from a stationary source location outside the lateral limits of the warp yarns, it is customary to insert each pick of weft by means of a reciprocating inserter or inserters. In the most common shuttleless operation a supply of weft is located adjacent the right hand side of the loom and each pick is drawn from the source and inserted into the shed formed between the warp yarns. The insertion itself is effected by means of an inserted carrier which is moved into and from the shed by means of a reciprocating inserter. In this usual form the inserter carrier is met at approximately the center of the warp shed by an extending carrier which grasps the end of the weft being inserted and draws it to the other side of the loom. The extending carrier is moved into and out of the shed by means of a reciprocating inserter in the same manner in which the inserter carrier is moved.
Although shuttleless looms as initially constructed and operated utilized only a single source of weft yarn and were therefore limited to one weft color, diverse types of method and apparatus were developed which ultimately made it possible to effect the insertion of weft yarn drawn from a plurality of sources. After utilization of a plurality of sources became a practical possibility it could be seen that a number of significant alterations in the structural features of certain ancillary parts of the basic weaving machine had been required. For example, when weft yarn was withdrawn from a plurality of yarn packages methods had to be devised to insure that each of the yarns to be inserted was at some position along its length, located at exactly the same point so that the inserting carrier would always engage it during its inward movement into the shed. Additionally, when utilizing only a single source, the inserted weft yarn could be threaded through a completely closed guide in the inserter carrier, since at no time was that yarn ever completely removed from its carrier. In contradistinction, when weft is drawn from a plurality of sources each weft yarn must be capable of being removed completely from the inserting carrier when yarn from a different source is to be inserted. Of course, when a loom that had been weaving with weft from a single source was to be converted to utilize yarn from a plurality of sources it was necessary to effect complete changes in the inserter carrier system. A similar change was required when converting from multiple to single pick insertion.
Therefore, a principle object of this invention is to provide an improved inserter carrier in which a portion of the carrier can be altered to accommodate the insertion of weft yarn from one or from a plurality of outside sources.
An additional object of this invention is to provide an improved inserter carrier in which a yarn guiding back plate can be easily removed and replaced with one suitable for the insertion of weft yarn from a single source or from a plurality of sources, depending upon the function of the plate being removed.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be in part obvious and in part explained by reference to the accompanying specification and drawings in which: